Archive for September, 2010

Never assume that a health insurance policy covers everything. That’s not the case.

“When buying Florida health insurance, you want to make sure you know everything that is included in the policy for the simple reason that if you don’t check, you might get a nasty surprise later when you need coverage you thought you had, but don’t,” said Evan Tunis of Florida Health Care Insurance, of Delray Beach, Florida.

It’s a smart move to make sure you completely understand coverage issues and it saves you those embarrassing moments in a doctor’s office trying to figure out why they are billing far more than expected or why something that you thought was covered is not.

“Why should you be aware of what is in the four corners of your insurance policy? Right now, the economy is not that stable and as a net result, many carriers have modified their plans. That means existing policies might not be applicable any longer. This is one of the questions you need to ask your Florida health insurance agent,” Tunis said.

There are some things that savvy health insurance shoppers will want to know before making a final purchase. For instance, every policy has exclusions. That bears repeating – every policy has exclusions and they do not cover everything. Most carriers will provide the exclusion list and name the services not covered. “Make sure you read this and understand it,” Tunis said. “Some of the excluded options may include home care, convenience products (e.g. humidifiers), nursing care, elective abortion procedures and reconstructive or aesthetic cosmetic surgery. Yes, you can reduce the number of exclusions, but you would then be paying a higher premium,” he said.

Other ways to find affordable Florida health insurance are to try managed care plans. This is another option you might want to ask an insurance agent about. They have information on these types of plans, and the advice on what might be best to choose is free. “Or, have the insurance agent tailor plans to your family or individual needs and work to your budget. It can be done because the agent knows where to look and which carriers to choose,” Tunis said.

And last, but not least, do some comparison-shopping, but always use the same health information every time a Florida health insurance quote is requested. That way, there’s an accurate comparison of prices across the board.

Every health insurance policy has exclusions, and it’s a good idea to know what those happen to be. Also, know what your options are.

You finally decided to buy Florida health insurance and now have to make some decisions. Most of all, you need something that suits you and will cover all the various health contingencies that you feel are foreseeable. That’s a great place to start from, but what if you find out that the carrier you want to go with will exclude something you feel you will need coverage for later?

For example, what if you had knee surgery a couple of years ago and the carrier says they will not cover you for that because it’s too much of a risk for them to assume? What are your options now? In Florida, there is no such thing as a “risk pool,” so your options boil down to two choices. The first choice would be to go with the carrier you chose and hope nothing happens to your knee.

The second choice is to shop around for a carrier who will cover your knee. Shopping around will definitely find you an viable option, but trying to shop around on your own without knowing the carriers and what they will and won’t cover is a nightmare. This is the major reason why you will want to discuss your situation with a licensed expert Florida health insurance broker. One phone call is all it takes to find out who will take you, knee and all.

The benefits of talking directly to the insurance agent are that you know without a doubt where you stand, what will work for your circumstances, what is included in the policy you ultimately buy and how much to budget. The insurance agent is your connection to the insurance carriers, and he knows what each one offers and how that would fit with your situation. Talking directly to the agent will save you time trying to figure out which policy would do what. Besides, much of the material on a website may not even be applicable to your circumstances.

Be prepared to pay a bit extra when you go with the company that will assume the risk of you possibly having problems with your knee in the future. However, the extra price you pay is well worth the peace of mind in knowing that you are completely covered for the things that are important to you

“Searching for life insurance can be a difficult task if you don’t know what you are looking for. Life insurance policies are extremely varied and you really need to speak to a qualified life insurance agent in order to get the real scoop on the various policies. Online research is good, but it doesn’t always tell you what you need to know or how it does or does not fit your particular needs,” said Evan Tunis of Florida Health Care Insurance, of Delray Beach, Florida.

One of the best ways to do a search for affordable life insurance is to keep track of all the places checked out. “Make sure you have a list of the company names and the type of insurance you were looking at. This minimizes confusion later when you want to digest what you’ve seen and read. Make sure you also ask for quotes for the same type of policy. If you don’t you’ll be totally confused later,” Tunis said.

When the quotes start coming back from the companies, it’s best to take some time to read them closely. While many people don’t like to read the fine print and just go for the bottom line, as in how much it costs, this may cause problems later if the policy purchased is not one that the person wanted or even suits them. This is why it is critical for the person wanting the life insurance to know what the policy says.

“One other thing you may wish to check on is whether or not there is further underwriting involved so that the company can give you a more accurate quote. That means that the quote you did get was an average and may not reflect the price you would pay once the company knows your complete health history, etc.,” Tunis said.

It’s important to look at the terms and conditions of policies being considered because failing that, it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. If you spot differences in the quotes, the reason for that often has to do with differing terms and conditions.

“I can’t emphasize this enough, when it comes to an important product like life insurance, you need to know what you are getting and need to know that it meets your needs. Buying based on price alone is risky because you may not get what you wanted. Call me, I am here to answer your questions and would be happy to explain the various policies to you,” Tunis said.